Burlington is a popular and very progressive small city in the northwest corner of Vermont. For a place that is plunged into winter almost half the year, it has adopted a very progressive attitude toward cyclists, and has a wonderful bike trail that runs for several miles along Lake Champlain. Local Motion offers many resources for cycling in the Burlington area. I have a couple of favorite rides from Burlington that also take advantage of ferry crossings of the lake to add a bit of excitement. You can ride south along the Champlain Bikeway to Charlotte, then cross to Essex, NY and ride north to Port Kent, taking another ferry back to Burlington.

A second ride starts by taking that ferry across to Port Kent, then continuing north to a ferry that crosses to the Champlain Islands. When possible, avoid Rt. 7 in Vermont because it is quite busy with traffic, and take the side roads in New York State to stay off busier Rt. 22, which the last time I was there was in terrible condition. The roads on the Vermont side of the lake are mostly flat with just an occasional short hill. The Adirondacks began their rise quickly from the west side of Lake Champlain and will offer some excellent climbs and views